Jess Carr

Research Student

My name is Jessica Carr and I am currently an MRes student based within the Institute of Educational Technology. I am on the 1+3 OpenTEL studentship and intend to start my PhD in October 2017. Previously to this I studied Applied Performance at the Birmingham School of Acting. After leaving university I spent a year getting my head firmly into the real world of work before having the privilige to work at the Oxfordshire based charity Yellow Submarine. I was the Assistant Manager of their Social Enterprise cafes, primarily working in the Witney base. We worked with adults with learning disabilities offering apprenticeships and training opportunities to teach the skills needed to enter into a workplace. This is where my passion for empowerment, specifically for people with learning disabilities, began and is the motivation behind my current work.

Previously I worked as an Intern under Professor Richard Holliman, on the SUPI project. This gave me an introduction into Open University life and more importantly the importance of school-university engagment. This is where much of my current and future research will focus.

My current MRes project is entitled: 'How do people with learning disabilities understand citizen science' Using a qualitative approach the project will be inclusive in nature and will focus on reflecting the needs and wants of the participants. My future PhD research will look at the data drawn from the MRes and will introduce Applied Performance techniques, linking them with citizen science technologies.